When you do something awesomely, most video games will tell you so. This is one small area in which video games are superior to sports, where it often takes a trained eye to appreciate excellence, or work, where people rarely pay attention. Tracey says that one thing she’s observed about her male coworkers is that they trumpet their own successes or go unnoticed. Female-dominated environments seem to rely on gossip and bitching as media for sublimating one’s finer characteristics/abilities into the collective consciousness, while IT workplaces seem to evade both systems. The fear of losing face in a geek-off keeps most people from pointing out their victories, which is why I think the world would be a much better place if the Quake voice declared “HUMILIATION!” whenever someone lay waste to a task.
and now, a recap of the holiday season, in the form of three unnecessary lists:
THINGS I LEARNED:
- David can spin a dreidel upside down like nobody’s business.
- Cinnamon comes from India, Java, Sumatra, the West Indies, Brazil, Vietnam, Madagascar, Zanzibar, and Egypt. The Vietnam war interrupted cinnamon production/exportation, and it was a lot harder to find. (contributed by Mrs. Eisinger)
- To date, we’ve killed more than 600,000 civilians in Iraq. (contributed by Aunt Anne, who thinks our country is only letting this go on because unlike most, this war isn’t demanding any sort of sacrifice or life change for Americans. Nothing is being rationed, nobody’s being drafted, and most of the country won’t be around when the bill comes, so we probably shouldn’t question the government if it wants to bomb mothers and sons and sisters and husbands on the scale of 200 9/11 attacks. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I’m still getting MTV. )
- phew, that almost got memorly.comTM political. on a lighter note, dutch cocoa is not an acceptable substitute for regular cocoa (contributed by my christmas cookies, which were almost as bitter as I am)
- The Detroit airport uses Windows machines to control their terminal screens. (contributed by a popup alert declaring a virtual memory shortage, lolzilla)
- Determination will take you far, but it will not take your size 9.5/10 feet into size 9 boots, no matter how much you meant to order the 9.5s.
- A lot of military intelligence is collected by submarines intercepting cell phone calls. Maybe I was alone in my confusion, but I always figured that the practical use of submarines died with the advent of radar and other wave technology. Apparently, a lot of terrorists think that if they talk in code, using cell phones is ok. (contributed by a friend of a relative; read more)
- I was a super dramatic 10 year old. Everything was a miracle or a disaster, always. (contributed by my recovered diaries)
THINGS I LOVED:
- my baby cousin Sarah asking Santa for a pine cone for Christmas. That’s really all she cared about, and she was really excited to get one.
- finally meeting baby Anna. adorable.
- eating things I love but never buy, like pumpkin pie and cocktail shrimp (but not together. sick.)
- drinking with my cousins
- the fact that recording the family cult classic that is the music director from my Grandma’s church inspired my extended family to sit in a different place for the first time in 20+ years, lay out three (3) electronic recording devices, and take stealth photography of the face behind the constantly cracking voice / awkward organ playing / drinking songs masquerading as hymns
- that right now I’m listening to a “best of” CD of the organist compiled by my cousin David. complete with album art.
- that I have so many possibilities for my remix project now
- that my family is the best ever
MY RESOLUTIONS FOR 2007:
- learn to not take it as a personal affront when others are insensitive, condescending, smug, and/or ignorant
- flush public toilets when confronted with something unpleasant in them instead of leaving and using another stall—this seems to be the general instinct but the horror has to stop somewhere (so far i’ve saved 3 people, and I feel great)
- take at least one trip to see Tracey
- create a maintainable diet/exercise routine.
- write my photo managing software
- make memorly.com less lame
Happy New Year!